Romania and Moldova forge new twinning agreements
Most of the mayors in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova came to Romanias capital Bucharest as part of a project meant to bring localities in the two countries closer to each other.
Daniela Budu, 11.04.2016, 13:47
Mayors from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, attending the Conference of the Representatives of Local Communities, held in Bucharest, have tried to find solutions to improve people’s welfare and communication between localities and counties in the two countries. Around 1,000 mayors on both sides of the Prut River have symbolically voted in favour of removing bureaucratic borders between Romania and Moldova.
On this occasion, 450 twinning agreements have been forged, under which towns and villages in the two countries will carry out joint programmes in fields like education, culture, economy and local public administration. In the participants’ opinion, these twinning agreements open new perspectives for collaboration and economic growth.
Bucharest’s interim mayor, Razvan Sava, has said: “There is strength in numbers, no doubt about it, especially in this extremely complicated geopolitical context. Together we are stronger, we can sign important partnerships for our communities, share information, discuss the management principles that we apply and the aspects related to accessing European funds.”
According to the Chisinau mayor, Dorin Chirtoaca, the twinning agreements need financial backing in order to be effective. Dorin Chirtoaca: “If a Romanian town hall is granted EU funding for one of its projects, it is allowed to transfer, from its own budget, an amount equal to the European funds received, to its twin town in Moldova. The law allows it, as there is an emergency ordinance in force in this respect.”
The Chisinau mayor has asked Romanian authorities to support local communities in neighbouring Moldova. Dorin Chirtoaca: “Things will irreversibly move towards EU accession, no matter what happens at the level of the Moldovan Government. With or without political alliances, people will come to trust their mayor, provided that, in the next three years, infrastructure development is financed, because this is the right thing to do.”
The twining agreements signed in Bucharest add to the other 187 Romanian-Moldovan agreements already in place. The Conference of the Representatives of Local Communities was organised by the “Friends of the Union” inter-parliamentary group, the Institute for Culture and European Rights and the Unionist Platform “Action 2012” in partnership with the “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi” Institute for Romanians Everywhere.
